Could a robot really give birth to a human baby? Scientists in China say the technology is reaching maturity, sparking ethical, medical, and social debate.
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| China’s Kaiwa Technology says robot wombs could deliver human babies, but critics question feasibility and ethics of replacing natural pregnancy. Image: Collected |
Guangzhou, China — August 18, 2025:
Could a humanoid robot one day deliver a human baby? That is the question being debated after Chinese researchers claimed to have developed the world’s first robotic surrogate capable of carrying a pregnancy from conception to birth.
The announcement comes from Dr. Zhang Qifeng, founder of Kaiwa Technology in Guangzhou and a PhD graduate of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. According to Dr. Zhang, the technology—which uses an artificial womb inside a humanoid robot—is already in a “mature stage.” The fetus would develop in a womb-like chamber filled with artificial amniotic fluid, receiving nutrients via a tube. After nine months, a live baby could emerge from the robot’s abdomen.
A prototype, priced at around £10,000 (100,000 yuan), is expected to be released as early as next year. If successful, this would mark a radical leap forward in reproductive science, with profound implications for medicine, family life, and society.
China, where infertility rates have climbed from 11.9 percent in 2007 to 18 percent in 2020, could see the innovation as a way to address declining birth rates. Supporters argue that artificial wombs might liberate women from the physical risks of pregnancy while offering new hope to couples struggling with fertility.
But many scientists and ethicists are cautious. Fertilisation methods, embryo implantation procedures, and the replication of crucial maternal hormonal exchanges remain unclear. Without these processes, critics argue, it may be impossible to safely mimic the complexity of natural gestation. “This is a monstrous and unplanned project,” warned Finance and Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud during a separate policy discussion, pointing to the risks of rushing unproven technologies.
Others raise broader social and philosophical concerns. Feminist scholars, including Andrea Dworkin, long warned that artificial wombs could lead to the “end of women” by sidelining their role in reproduction. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, writing in 2022, cautioned that such technology risks “pathologising pregnancy,” framing it as a medical issue rather than a natural process.
Dr. Zhang insists that the science builds on prior experiments, including the successful use of “biobags” to sustain premature lambs for weeks. He has already begun discussions with Guangdong provincial authorities to draft new laws and regulations, acknowledging that legal and ethical frameworks must evolve alongside technological advances.
For now, the concept remains more speculative than proven. Site visits and media reports indicate that many fundamental questions remain unanswered: How exactly will embryos be implanted? Can robots truly replicate maternal bonds? And what psychological or social consequences might arise for children born through such means?
As China prepares for a possible commercial rollout, the debate reflects a deeper global question: is robotic pregnancy a life-saving innovation or an unsettling leap that risks eroding the most intimate of human connections?